Some Peace Inside
by HPhaeton
Summary: Written for the Tom&Harry Winter Ficathon on The Chimera Cafe. Voldemort takes Harry to a Christmas fair. VoldemortxHarry SLASH


Everything recognisable from Harry Potter belongs to Joanne K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and so on. I'm not making any money with this.

Some Peace Inside

The Dark Lord smiles as Harry lifts a contented face up at him. The boy likes the black velvet very much and Voldemort is well aware of it. He presses a kiss to the soft lips, drapes the heavy cloak around Harry's shoulders and fastens it with a precious emerald brooch.

It's not that he doesn't trust Longbottom. Harry's valet is loyal to the boy and treats him gently. But recently Voldemort has been doing most of those duties himself. Helping Harry dress or giving him a bath, taking him out into the garden and even finding things to amuse him, like today.

Voldemort takes one gloved hand in his own and leads Harry towards the open sleigh. The boy usually obeys simple commands, but leaving the mansion makes him shy and insecure.

Because of this the Dark Lord dresses Harry in his favourite clothes and keeps as much physical contact as possible to make him feel comfortable and protected.

It works well. Harry doesn't even throw a glance at the Death Eaters standing in attention. Nobody blinks any more when the Dark Lord appears in public with Harry on his arm like an exotic ornament.

The boy relaxes into the soft furs. Voldemort wraps a woollen blanket around both of them and feels Harry snuggling closer to him. The Dark Lord motions to Pettigrew to take up the reins. The two horses start moving, pulling the elegant sleigh through the wintry landscape.

It's late afternoon. The sun just touches the horizon and colours the sky in blazing varieties of red, casting violet shadows on the snow-covered fields. The air is freezing cold and clear as crystal. The iciness touches Harry's cheeks with an endearing shade of pink.

The freshly fallen snow seems to mute every sound. The gliding of the sleigh, the snorts and clattering hooves of the horses, even their own breathing - everything appears softer on this somehow timeless and enchanted journey, inviting them to daydream or to remember.

Harry looks around, eyes wide with excitement. It were those eyes looking at him in confused pain that made Voldemort relent and order to cease the torture. While he likes revenge and punishment, it doesn't give him any satisfaction when his victim doesn't even understand what it is suffering for any longer.

When he took the boy out of the dungeon and into a guest room, he became Harry's own personal saviour.

At least that's the way Harry reacts to him. Having imprinted solely on the Dark Lord, Harry feels most comfortable when he is near Voldemort, who finds that the boy's quiet presence calms his stressed mind and seeks Harry out more and more often. It is a self-repeating circle.

Who knew that being the ruler of the wizarding world would be so demanding? Discussing new laws, attending press conferences, considering petitions…it seems that everybody wants something from him all the time.

Everybody except Harry. Harry never asks for anything. Not with words, anyway, with his vocal cords irremediably damaged. At first Voldemort expected that the boy was attempting to manipulate him, but when the Dark Lord uses Legilimency, he encounters only the disturbed thoughts of a Cruciatus victim.

The first time Voldemort took Harry to bed he acted on the spur of the moment. Harry doesn't really understand sex, but he reacts favourably to Voldemort's touch.

Finding him still virgin came as a surprise. He would have thought that his Death Eaters tortured the boy in all ways imaginable, but it seems that those pure-blood elitists refrained from physically inflicted punishment. Only much later Voldemort found out that it was Pettigrew – trying to fulfill his debt to Harry - who told the others that the Dark Lord wanted that privilege for himself.

So, the boy had kept his virtue intact, but not his mind. It's probably for the best this way, well, at least it is for the Dark Lord. He even spared Wormtail the punishment.

Secretly, Voldemort is pleased that he is the only one to ever possess the boy in that way. He rather likes having Harry's warm and willing body in his bed. By now the boy has been moved from the guest room and has become a permanent fixture in Voldemort's suite.

When they approach the small village there's a spicy smell in the air from beech wood burning in dozens of fireplaces. It's welcoming them in from the white solitude they have crossed. Pettigrew stops the sleigh in front of a conglomerate of booths and market stalls. There are brightly decorated trees and gaudy lights everywhere, and cheery music plays from a roundabout in the middle of the place.

Voldemort offers his arm to Harry and assists him down from the sleigh. Keeping a tight hold of the boy so that he doesn't slip on the snow, he starts leading him around the Christmas fair.

They are almost alone. Voldemort has arranged for it to be closed for the public today. Only some of his most trusted Death Eaters and their families are here and of course the soldiers who are guarding them. The Dark Lord takes care to expose Harry only to those Death Eaters who stopped the torture when the boy was losing his mind. The ones who didn't, like Bellatrix or Macnair, terrify him now.

There's a soft smile on Harry's face as he takes in the different smells. Mulled mead and wine, hot cider and ale, cotton candy, roast almonds, grilled steaks and sausages, hot chocolate – they all create a delicious mixture of scents.

After all this time Voldemort knows Harry's preferences quite well, so he leads the boy to a giant frying pan where mushrooms and cauliflower stew in a spicy sauce. The Dark Lord orders two portions for them. Harry accepts his bowl with a grateful smile. As usual he waits for Voldemort to start eating before he turns to his own meal.

Harry eats slowly, savouring every bite. When he is finished, the bowl is almost clean of every drop.

They continue their rounds across the fair. Whispers follow them from time to time. The wizarding world isn't quite used yet to seeing the Dark Lord and The Boy Who Lived together. Although Harry doesn't react to that title any more, just as he doesn't react to the name Potter. It's as if he doesn't even understand that people mean him. He is Harry. Just Harry.

Something has caught Harry's attention. He is gazing mesmerized at a market stall where sparkling Christmas tree decorations are displayed for sale. Voldemort gently steers him towards the small booth. The boy can't take his eyes off a little ice crystal made from clear white glass. His hand reaches out, slowly, but he stops short from touching the fragile ornament.

The plump witch running the stall smiles at Harry and opens her mouth, but a sharp look from Voldemort stops her from speaking. She blanches and lowers her eyes, not before sending a look of regret and pity in Harry's direction.

The Dark Lord feels slightly irritated. It's none of her business how he decides to treat the boy. Voldemort has every intention to satisfy the longing he can see in Harry's eyes, even though he doesn't know what fascinates the boy so much about the small crystal.

With his arm around Harry's shoulders the Dark Lord leads him slowly away from the object of his desire. The boy doesn't protest. He never struggles against Voldemort. When the Dark Lord hands him a steaming mug of mead, Harry looks perfectly content.

While Harry is distracted, Voldemort gives a sign to Pettigrew. Wormtail always keeps close by to observe and react to the unspoken orders the Dark Lord expresses. As Wormtail purchases the ornament, the witch sends a weak smile of apology and relief towards Voldemort. She doesn't know it, but she can count herself lucky that Harry is present. The Dark Lord never uses curses – or even magic – when the boy is near.

They make one more round before mounting the sleigh again. It was a long outing for the boy who seldom leaves the mansion. Voldemort notices Harry's stifled yawns and drooping eyes. He pulls the boy closer and allows Harry to rest his head on his shoulder. It doesn't take long and the boy is fast asleep.

Voldemort is pleased with Harry's behaviour today. He is resolved to take the boy out more often. And he is looking forward to Harry's reaction when the boy sees the tiny ice crystal he admired so much hanging in front of a window in their suite.

End


End file.
